Chryed Station
by Mushroom Hair
Summary: How will I recognise you?


Syed shifted his weight from foot to foot and tried to peer above the heads of the commuters as they glumly trudged from the platform and spread across the station concourse.

His eyes strained to catch sight of a familiar figure, his heart sinking when none appeared amongst the throng of smart city types in office suits and the occasional weighed down backpacker. He looked at his watch again, depressed that only a minute had elapsed when it seemed like hours.

He pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring the frowns and tuts of the people walking towards him, and stood under the big clock.

'I should be wearing a carnation in my buttonhole.' He mused to himself. 'Except my T shirt hasn't got one. Could hold a rose between my teeth I suppose.'

He considered the idea briefly and tried to see if he could spot a flower stall.

'But if I leave, he might turn up and I'll miss him.' The thought worried him. Pondering further, he imagined himself standing waiting holding a pineapple and a copy of Hello magazine. Shaking his head to push the image away, grinning vaguely to himself, he checked the time again.

'Where are you?' He scanned the faces of the people passing, accidentally catching the eye of a blonde lady, laden with a briefcase and a laptop bag, her brow furrowed with worries. She did a small double take and then blushed, smiling tightly. He beamed back and turned away, leaving her to clip clop away on towering heels to dream of a handsome stranger for the rest of her boring day.

A new set of people had spewed from a train and were bustling past. Syed felt anxiety rising from his stomach and searched through the blur of grey features in desperation.

And then he saw him. Broad shouldered and tall, swaying through the crowd with the slow, easy grace of a cat. Syed felt his heart lift and was embarrassed at the slight sting of tears that had misted his view.

"Christian!" Syed waved frantically.

Christian's face lit up with joy and he made a rude sign back. Speeding up to barge through the crowd, moving people out of the way with a charming smile and a loud but polite "Excuse me!"

Syed thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans, trying to quell the temptation to throw his arms around him.

"You've been ages." he moaned accusingly.

Christian looked a little taken aback.

"Have I? Sorry sweetie. This is very 'Brief Encounter.' You look like you should be holding a pineapple, or wearing a luggage tag with your name on it. 'Please look after this bear, he is well fit.' I had to wait in a huge queue at the advanced bookings bit. I knew we should have come later, or done it over the phone."

He touched the back of Syed's neck, running his fingers up into his hair.

Syed looked at his feet and mumbled;

"Yeah, well. We were in the area."

Christian frowned quizzically.

"Were we? If you say so. Let's get something to eat, thinking of pineapples has made me hungry. What shall we have? I fancy toast and marmalade or something meaty in a floury bap. Sy?"

He looked down, concerned, noticing that Syed was fiddling quietly with the button on the front of his shirt.

"If you pull that off I'll make you sew it back on for me. What's up Sy?"

Syed rested his forehead against Christian's chest and muttered.

"There'd be more chance of me darning your socks. I missed you."

Christian threw his head back and laughed delightedly.

"You twat. I've only been gone for half an hour! And it's not like I'm off somewhere on an exciting jolly, I'm only going to visit my great auntie Mildred in her residential home. Are you worried I might get a fancy for having old age creeping over me? I tend to prefer men with their own teeth, though some things could be interesting…."

He gestured behind him,

"If this is how you get when I'm only twenty feet away, what on earth are you going to be like when I'm in a different city?"

Syed glanced up at him from under long dark lashes.

"I don't know. I think it might be agony."

Christian ran his thumb slowly across Syed's bottom lip and the clatter and roar of slamming doors and Tannoy announcements seemed to fade to silence. Moving closer, he murmured,

"Funny, I had the same thought as I was standing for an age staring at the spotty neck of the boy in front of me. Which is why I seem to have accidentally bought an extra ticket. I warn you now, Mildred will try to lure you away. She can be a terrible temptress."

Syed contentedly slipped his hands under thick cotton, stroking them against the warm skin of Christian's back.

"Must be genetic."


End file.
